“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” -Jesus (recorded by the Apostle John in John 17:1-3)
Jesus defined “eternal life” as knowing God. This is the eternal life always offered in the Scriptures. If we are attempting to save anyone from or to anything else they are not getting saved.
So many today want to simply be saved from difficulties or simply saved to living forever with family and friends. Or a host of other reasons that are man-centered and have not to do with the Gospel or the Eternal Life Jesus Christ came to give.
Our churches are full of people who could care less about knowing God and yet are convinced they are saved because some pastor “Popeishly” told them they were saved. They want their worship style of music. They want their ears tickled from the pastor with whatever or they’ll take their business else where.
No wonder our churches are fighting. No wonder our churches are turning to other means for growth and success. Our churches are full of goats and wolves who think they are sheep. No wonder we have such trouble trying to get these people to behave like sheep. Because they’re NOT!
A goat is a goat. A wolf is a wolf! And a sheep is a sheep!!!
Oh LORD! Forgive us for teaching another gospel! Forgive us for idolatry! Forgive us for teaching people to worship the gift rather than the giver! We repent!!! Give us yourself! Help us to know you! Holy Spirit give us understanding of the Word. For you have spoken so clearly and revealed to us the Glory of the Son. Sanctify us in Thy Word! Thy Word is Truth!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
The World HATES Christians.
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you…if I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.” Jesus (recorded by the Apostle John the one who our LORD loved, in John 15:19,22).
Jesus taught the reason the world would hate us is because when we fulfill the Great Commission we would command all men to repent from their sin or they will be guilty and judged for their sin.
In other words, the Gospel condemns all men in order to save men.
Now we are told by many influential Christians that we need to change the way we do church and teach the gospel because people are offended and feel condemned. “We sound judgmental.” “We sound too preachy.” etc.
Are you seeing what I am seeing. Leading Christians are telling Christians to stop condemning the unbelieving world, because the world doesn’t feel loved by it and is offended and turned off by us. And if we continue to do this the world will start hating Christians and the church.
Yeah, we already knew that. Jesus told us we would be 2,000 years ago! Now we are surprised by it?
P.S.
Check this out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDHL9NZ1lQQ
Jesus taught the reason the world would hate us is because when we fulfill the Great Commission we would command all men to repent from their sin or they will be guilty and judged for their sin.
In other words, the Gospel condemns all men in order to save men.
Now we are told by many influential Christians that we need to change the way we do church and teach the gospel because people are offended and feel condemned. “We sound judgmental.” “We sound too preachy.” etc.
Are you seeing what I am seeing. Leading Christians are telling Christians to stop condemning the unbelieving world, because the world doesn’t feel loved by it and is offended and turned off by us. And if we continue to do this the world will start hating Christians and the church.
Yeah, we already knew that. Jesus told us we would be 2,000 years ago! Now we are surprised by it?
P.S.
Check this out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDHL9NZ1lQQ
Saturday, November 8, 2008
A Humbling Thought from God's Word (John 8).
I was reading today in John 8. I recommend it to you :-) No but seriously, this is one powerful discourse that Jesus has with the Pharisees. It never ceases to amaze me how Jesus can say such harsh things so bluntly and honestly. And yet, I never doubt that He is love! For example, in John 8 Jesus tells the Pharisees:
They are ignorant (v. 14)
They judge wrongly (v.15)
They do not know God (v.19) and thus,
They are liars (v.55)
They will die in sin (v. 21)
They are slaves to sin (v. 34)
They do not believe nor love the Word of God (v.37)
They are not Jews (v.39)
They are murderers in their hearts (v. 40)
They do not love God nor His Messiah (v.42)
They deceive themselves and reject God’s Word (v.43)
They are children of the Devil (v.44)
They’re will (free-will?) is bound to do the Devil’s desire (.44)
They are not God’s children (v. 47)
When we think of Jesus does this list come to mind of things he said to people (mind you this is taken from just one chapter of one of the four Gospels). We often have a unbalanced view of Jesus going around only saying kind things and healing everybody and never judging anyone and telling everyone to not judge but just love, love, love. John speaks of Jesus as the Word in flesh who was full of “grace and truth.”
But here’s the interesting thing that stuck out to me this morning when reading John 7+8. Jesus throughout His ministry commands people to “hear” and “perceive” and understand. And yet here in John 8, Jesus makes it crystal clear that no one can: hear,see,understand, or believe unless the Father gives special grace. In fact, Jesus even tells the Pharisees that their will is bound by their father (the Devil) to do his desires (v.44). In other words Jesus gives commands to mankind that they cannot do! No wonder Jesus told them they were in slavery (v.34).
So, if you are a child of Satan, which everyone is born into this world as, then you are: blinded, deaf, deceived, and therefore unbelieving. Everyone needs to believe to see, hear, and understand. But only God’s children can do this.
So, salvation depends not on the man who runs nor the man who wills, but on God who chooses to show mercy. Salvation belongs to the LORD! In essence Jesus was telling the Pharisees, “you do not believe because you are not my children, and you are not my children because I have not made you my children!” (read John 3)
John 1:13 says, “who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of flesh nor the will of man, but of God.”
So finally my point of humbling is this. I am saved simply because God showed me unique and peculiar mercy and grace, that He has not given to all. There is nothing I did to earn this favor from God! and yet I receive the blessings! And because of the magnitude of this salvation and the weightiness of judgment others will experience (that I deserve), I have an eternal reason to be infinitely humbled! Who would have thought that the gospel would be the source of our salvation from pride?!
They are ignorant (v. 14)
They judge wrongly (v.15)
They do not know God (v.19) and thus,
They are liars (v.55)
They will die in sin (v. 21)
They are slaves to sin (v. 34)
They do not believe nor love the Word of God (v.37)
They are not Jews (v.39)
They are murderers in their hearts (v. 40)
They do not love God nor His Messiah (v.42)
They deceive themselves and reject God’s Word (v.43)
They are children of the Devil (v.44)
They’re will (free-will?) is bound to do the Devil’s desire (.44)
They are not God’s children (v. 47)
When we think of Jesus does this list come to mind of things he said to people (mind you this is taken from just one chapter of one of the four Gospels). We often have a unbalanced view of Jesus going around only saying kind things and healing everybody and never judging anyone and telling everyone to not judge but just love, love, love. John speaks of Jesus as the Word in flesh who was full of “grace and truth.”
But here’s the interesting thing that stuck out to me this morning when reading John 7+8. Jesus throughout His ministry commands people to “hear” and “perceive” and understand. And yet here in John 8, Jesus makes it crystal clear that no one can: hear,see,understand, or believe unless the Father gives special grace. In fact, Jesus even tells the Pharisees that their will is bound by their father (the Devil) to do his desires (v.44). In other words Jesus gives commands to mankind that they cannot do! No wonder Jesus told them they were in slavery (v.34).
So, if you are a child of Satan, which everyone is born into this world as, then you are: blinded, deaf, deceived, and therefore unbelieving. Everyone needs to believe to see, hear, and understand. But only God’s children can do this.
So, salvation depends not on the man who runs nor the man who wills, but on God who chooses to show mercy. Salvation belongs to the LORD! In essence Jesus was telling the Pharisees, “you do not believe because you are not my children, and you are not my children because I have not made you my children!” (read John 3)
John 1:13 says, “who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of flesh nor the will of man, but of God.”
So finally my point of humbling is this. I am saved simply because God showed me unique and peculiar mercy and grace, that He has not given to all. There is nothing I did to earn this favor from God! and yet I receive the blessings! And because of the magnitude of this salvation and the weightiness of judgment others will experience (that I deserve), I have an eternal reason to be infinitely humbled! Who would have thought that the gospel would be the source of our salvation from pride?!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
A Brief Defense for Penal Substitutionary Atonement: A Commentary on Romans 3:24-26
In Romans 3, the Apostle Paul is demonstrating that all men, no matter their background, ethnicity, or knowledge, fall short of the standard by which God judges a man of being just. Therefore, in verse 23, Paul concludes that all “fall short of the glory of God.” Paul is also attempting to explain to the church in Rome why possessing the law does not make one righteous before God. But rather, the law acts more like a sign or pointer revealing to man how he does not measure up to God’s standards, and exposes the many transgressions of all men. Paul is building up the tension for his readers because up until this point he has clearly shown how all men, Jew and gentile alike, are under the wrath of God. The question then arises, “if no one is good, how can anyone get to heaven and God remain just?” For if all men are unworthy of heaven, and worthy only of hell, how can anyone receive this reward? Furthermore, how can God seemingly just drop the charges for the sins committed and remain a just judge? These are the questions Paul answers in Romans 3:24-26.
3:24. Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. This verse is picking up in mid-thought and is clearly connected to verse 23. The ESV translation of vs. 24 starts with the word and. So there is an obvious connection in Paul’s mind of the category of those who “sin and fall short” and those who are “justified.” In this verse, the author states that those who are in Christ Jesus are “justified” as a gift of grace through redemption. The word justified, used here, is used thirty-eight other times in the New Testament. Twenty-four of those times the word is translated exactly the same, the other fifteen times it is translated nearly the same only differentiated by tense of the word.
Throughout the New Testament justified is used to mean, “to show to be righteous or to declare righteous.” For example, if someone were to make the claim that they knew the president of the United States, that person and his claim would be justified if President Bush were to come over to his house and verify this person’s claim. However, this term is most often used with a courtroom motif. Schreiner states:
Justification is a legal or forensic term, belonging to the law courts. Its opposite is condemnation. Both are the pronouncements of a judge. In a Christian context they are the alternative eschatological verdicts which God the judge may pass on judgment day. So when God justifies sinners today, he anticipates his own final judgment by bringing into present what belongs properly to the last day (Schreiner 190).
So Paul argues that even though everyone sins against God and is therefore under His condemnation, those who are in Christ Jesus are no longer under that condemnation, but rather, seen as just before God and His law. Paul then goes on to explain through what means this is done.
Those who are justified are so on the basis that they have been redeemed. In the previous verse Paul stated that everyone has sinned against God. The idea could be understood that all men are therefore indebted to God. Therefore, for them to be free they must be redeemed. The word redemption is used only ten times in the New Testament. However, the word was very common to Paul’s contemporary audience. They would have most likely associated this word with the connotation of a slave being indebted and being set free due to a ransom being paid. In other words, the word redemption means, “to release on payment of ransom.” However, there has been debate on the intended meaning by Paul when he used this word. Some have argued that this word could be seen not as a ransom being paid, but rather, or simply the idea of “deliverance” or “emancipation” from slavery (Cranfield 206). That being said, the best understanding of the word is likely the idea of a ransom being paid. This can be seen for three reasons.
First, as stated before, the common understanding of this word is most commonly understood to have the imagery of a ransom being paid. There is no reason given for the reader to think otherwise.
Secondly, the immediate context is already carrying the imagery of an indebted group of people who have been ransomed. In verse 23 Paul states that all men have sinned against God. And in verse 24 Paul states that those who are in Christ Jesus have been redeemed “freely.” Why would Paul use terms such as this one if he did not intend for it to have a ransom understanding?
Lastly, looking at the Scriptures in a broader context by the same writer, Paul uses the imagery throughout his epistles with the idea of those in Jesus being there through means of a price or purchase (I Cor. 6:20). That being said, it does not mean that Paul does not have in mind the ideas of “deliverance” or “emancipation.” Rather, that is exactly what the ransomed experience on the basis of the purchase being made.
So in verse 24 Paul gives hope to the reader. This hope is found outside of the individual. It is found in Christ Jesus. However, at this point, though Paul has spoken of hope for those in Christ Jesus, he has not answered the dilemma at how a holy righteous judge can do so. Stott states it well:
Then how on earth can Paul affirm that God does what he forbids others to do; that he does what he says he will himself never do; that he does it habitually, and that he even designates himself ‘the God who justifies the wicked’ or (we might say) ‘who “righteousses” the unrighteous’? It is preposterous! How can the righteous God act unrighteously, and so overthrow the moral order, turning it upside down? It is unbelievable! (112)
Here is the point Stott is making: If God has clearly revealed that it is an abomination for a judge to condemn the righteous and justify the ungodly (Pro. 17:15), how can He then justify the ungodly? Paul goes on in verse 25 to explain.
3:25. Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over sins previously committed. The “whom” in verse 25 refers back to Christ Jesus from the end of verse 24. Paul argues that God the Father appeals to Jesus, His Son, as a testimony to His righteousness. But how is Jesus a demonstration of God’s righteousness? In verse 23 Paul stated that all men have sinned against God and are therefore under God’s just wrath. In verse 24 Paul states that those who were under God’s just wrath have now been justified and redeemed. In other words, somehow God’s just wrath against sin has been placated, appeased, or dealt. This is what the word propitiation means.
However, all scholars do not accept this word here in Romans 3:25. Many scholars such as Dunn, Gundry, and Chalke would translate this word as expiation or as mercy seat (Dunn 180-181). There is good reason for this. For this word is used, by the translators of the Old Testament, for the LXX for the Hebrew word for mercy seat. This is the same reason why Calvin and Luther translated this word this way. Now Paul is dealing largely with the Law of Moses in the context and it is clear that the Old Testament is in mind here. However, to translate this word as expiation or mercy seat would not communicate the full meaning of the word here being used by Paul. One scholar states it best:
The main reason these options are not satisfactory, and a reference to propitiation seems necessary, is the context. In these verses Paul is describing God’s solution to the human predicament, which is not only sin but God’s wrath upon sin (1:18; 2:5; 3:5). And where there is divine wrath, there is need to avert it…In sum, it would be hard to exaggerate the differences between the pagan and the Christian views of propitiation. In the pagan perspective, human beings try to placate their bad-tempered deities with their own paltry offerings. According to the Christian revelation, God’s own great love propitiated his own holy wrath through the gift of his own dear Son, who took our place, bore our sin and died our death. Thus God himself gave himself to us to save us from himself (Stott 114-115).
As Stott and many others have stated the immediate context demands for a more full meaning that simply expiation. Seifrid states it wonderfully, saying:
According to Paul, our sins themselves are an expression of the wrath of God on idolatry, a wrath that therefore cannot legitimately be reduced to an impersonal effect or natural result of a deed (1:18-32). Humanity has been subjected by God to the power of sin (3:9). The righteousness of God effects deliverance from sin to which God’s wrath delivered us (3:24; cf. 6:1-23, esp. 6:7). Expiation is thus contingent on propitiation. Propitiation effects expiation. (620)
Finally it should be noted that to translate the word as expiation and not as propitiation would only speak of what has been done with sin and would do so at the neglect of what is done with God’s wrath (Jeffery, Ovey, and Sach 82).
This can be seen in the same verse where Paul uses the word forbearance. Forbearance means, “to bear with or endure.” In other words, because of the past sins prior to Jesus Christ not being dealt with, God was enduring something. What was God enduring? God was enduring the injustice of sins undealt with. In other words, it is God’s nature to be just! For Him to never deal with sin would be impossible. However, God did forbear the injustice for a time until Jesus Christ came. Then He sent forth His Son as the propitiation for sin “previously committed.” By doing so, God “publicly” demonstrates to the world that He is indeed just! As Clement of Rome has said, “His flesh for our flesh, and His soul, for our souls.” (Clement of Rome 1.18.) Or stated in a letter to Diognetus, “The father Himself placed upon Christ the burden of our iniquities. He gave His own Son as a ransom for us…” (Letter to Diognetus 1.28.) Jesus Christ took upon Himself the wrath against sins committed by others.
3:26. For the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. The word for at the beginning of verse 26 is connected to the last phrase in verse 25. It answers the question, “why did God pass over sins previously committed?” God passed over sins previously committed, so that, He could display His magnificent righteousness “at the present time.” Murray comments on this phrase saying,
The definite specification of time in the expression “at this present time” (vs. 26) is another example of the significance attached to the historical epoch in which God gave this demonstration of his justice. It is contrasted with the generations of the past when God’s forbearance was in exercise, and it shows that location in history belongs to those accomplishments which have a Godward reference at their centre. We are not to relegate to the realm of the superhistorical that which meets divine interest and exigencies. (121)
Paul uses the word demonstration, which means, “to prove.” This word is used three times and translated as: demonstration, proof, sign. In other words, Jesus Christ being a propitious sacrifice to God is a sign or a proof that God is indeed righteous.
What exactly is God seeking to prove by punishing sin? What is God demonstrating by giving sin its proper due? God is proving that He is indeed just. This word is used 79 times in the New Testament. It comes from a word, which means, “right.” In fact, this word is translated 48 times as righteous. So when Paul states that this is all done to display God being just, he means it shows and proves that God does indeed uphold what is right! He does not sweep the sins previously committed underneath some cosmic rug. Nor does He ignore it. He does not just “up and forgive it” either, but rather, he deals justly or rightly with sin. In this way God is not only just, but He is just in justifying the ungodly! What an awesome God. For here God clearly manifests not only that He is a just God, but that He is a loving God that would do so at the expense of His dearly loved and only Son. Only God can clearly manifest both perfect love and perfect justice in one event. One scholar writes:
Now the bearing of the cross on God’s dealings with men “at the present time” is unfolded. It amounts to a declaration that God is at once just in himself and justifying in his activity on behalf of mankind. (Harrison 45)
Or as another has said, “Christ was set forth as a sacrifice for the manifestation of the righteousness or justice of God, that is, that he might be just, although the justifier of the ungodly” (Hodge 98). The last phrase in verse 26 states the who God justifies, those who have “faith in Jesus.” In the opening of the epistle, Paul had quoted a prophet from the Old Testament stating, “The just shall live by faith.” It is here in these verses that Paul explains how that can be! One is not able to stand before God by keeping the Law of Moses or even the laws written on their own hearts. One must and can only stand before God by faith in Jesus Christ and His accomplished work on the cross.
Because of the clear argument being made here by the Apostle Paul, he closes the chapter with this being the reason God is not a respecter of persons or ethnicities. Nor will God justify anyone by works of the law. But rather, the law of faith alone will justify them. However, the question arises, “if men are justified before God apart from the law, is the law then overthrown?” Paul then begins to grapple with this question in the following chapter.
So, now that we have taken a brief examination of what Paul is talking about in Romans 3:24-26, how then should we live? It seems the best application of these truths is found in the following verse, where Paul asks a rhetorical question. “Where then is the boasting?” The answer, “It is excluded.” This is why getting Romans 3:24-26 is so crucial! Because God’s glory is at stake! And our sin is on the line! If we get these verses wrong, there will be room to boast. Perhaps this may be the biggest problem with all the other interpretations of this text. The application doesn’t fit their exegesis. But if we realize that we are all deserving of Hell. And the only reason we are not condemned, is because of the free gift of redemption “by His grace.” I cannot boast for being in Christ, or remaining there! I am there because it was given to me to be in Him. So here is how we can apply this verse specifically. The next time you encounter someone that you grow impatient with, or think less of than yourself, remember that all of us are just as lost and our only hope is Jesus. So patiently and lovingly, as a servant, point them to the only hope for mankind. That is Jesus! Boast in nothing, save the cross of Calvary! For it was there that the sinless, innocent, and just Son of God was punished with the full penalty of sin on the behalf of wicked, guilty, sinners like you and me. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29b)
3:24. Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. This verse is picking up in mid-thought and is clearly connected to verse 23. The ESV translation of vs. 24 starts with the word and. So there is an obvious connection in Paul’s mind of the category of those who “sin and fall short” and those who are “justified.” In this verse, the author states that those who are in Christ Jesus are “justified” as a gift of grace through redemption. The word justified, used here, is used thirty-eight other times in the New Testament. Twenty-four of those times the word is translated exactly the same, the other fifteen times it is translated nearly the same only differentiated by tense of the word.
Throughout the New Testament justified is used to mean, “to show to be righteous or to declare righteous.” For example, if someone were to make the claim that they knew the president of the United States, that person and his claim would be justified if President Bush were to come over to his house and verify this person’s claim. However, this term is most often used with a courtroom motif. Schreiner states:
Justification is a legal or forensic term, belonging to the law courts. Its opposite is condemnation. Both are the pronouncements of a judge. In a Christian context they are the alternative eschatological verdicts which God the judge may pass on judgment day. So when God justifies sinners today, he anticipates his own final judgment by bringing into present what belongs properly to the last day (Schreiner 190).
So Paul argues that even though everyone sins against God and is therefore under His condemnation, those who are in Christ Jesus are no longer under that condemnation, but rather, seen as just before God and His law. Paul then goes on to explain through what means this is done.
Those who are justified are so on the basis that they have been redeemed. In the previous verse Paul stated that everyone has sinned against God. The idea could be understood that all men are therefore indebted to God. Therefore, for them to be free they must be redeemed. The word redemption is used only ten times in the New Testament. However, the word was very common to Paul’s contemporary audience. They would have most likely associated this word with the connotation of a slave being indebted and being set free due to a ransom being paid. In other words, the word redemption means, “to release on payment of ransom.” However, there has been debate on the intended meaning by Paul when he used this word. Some have argued that this word could be seen not as a ransom being paid, but rather, or simply the idea of “deliverance” or “emancipation” from slavery (Cranfield 206). That being said, the best understanding of the word is likely the idea of a ransom being paid. This can be seen for three reasons.
First, as stated before, the common understanding of this word is most commonly understood to have the imagery of a ransom being paid. There is no reason given for the reader to think otherwise.
Secondly, the immediate context is already carrying the imagery of an indebted group of people who have been ransomed. In verse 23 Paul states that all men have sinned against God. And in verse 24 Paul states that those who are in Christ Jesus have been redeemed “freely.” Why would Paul use terms such as this one if he did not intend for it to have a ransom understanding?
Lastly, looking at the Scriptures in a broader context by the same writer, Paul uses the imagery throughout his epistles with the idea of those in Jesus being there through means of a price or purchase (I Cor. 6:20). That being said, it does not mean that Paul does not have in mind the ideas of “deliverance” or “emancipation.” Rather, that is exactly what the ransomed experience on the basis of the purchase being made.
So in verse 24 Paul gives hope to the reader. This hope is found outside of the individual. It is found in Christ Jesus. However, at this point, though Paul has spoken of hope for those in Christ Jesus, he has not answered the dilemma at how a holy righteous judge can do so. Stott states it well:
Then how on earth can Paul affirm that God does what he forbids others to do; that he does what he says he will himself never do; that he does it habitually, and that he even designates himself ‘the God who justifies the wicked’ or (we might say) ‘who “righteousses” the unrighteous’? It is preposterous! How can the righteous God act unrighteously, and so overthrow the moral order, turning it upside down? It is unbelievable! (112)
Here is the point Stott is making: If God has clearly revealed that it is an abomination for a judge to condemn the righteous and justify the ungodly (Pro. 17:15), how can He then justify the ungodly? Paul goes on in verse 25 to explain.
3:25. Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over sins previously committed. The “whom” in verse 25 refers back to Christ Jesus from the end of verse 24. Paul argues that God the Father appeals to Jesus, His Son, as a testimony to His righteousness. But how is Jesus a demonstration of God’s righteousness? In verse 23 Paul stated that all men have sinned against God and are therefore under God’s just wrath. In verse 24 Paul states that those who were under God’s just wrath have now been justified and redeemed. In other words, somehow God’s just wrath against sin has been placated, appeased, or dealt. This is what the word propitiation means.
However, all scholars do not accept this word here in Romans 3:25. Many scholars such as Dunn, Gundry, and Chalke would translate this word as expiation or as mercy seat (Dunn 180-181). There is good reason for this. For this word is used, by the translators of the Old Testament, for the LXX for the Hebrew word for mercy seat. This is the same reason why Calvin and Luther translated this word this way. Now Paul is dealing largely with the Law of Moses in the context and it is clear that the Old Testament is in mind here. However, to translate this word as expiation or mercy seat would not communicate the full meaning of the word here being used by Paul. One scholar states it best:
The main reason these options are not satisfactory, and a reference to propitiation seems necessary, is the context. In these verses Paul is describing God’s solution to the human predicament, which is not only sin but God’s wrath upon sin (1:18; 2:5; 3:5). And where there is divine wrath, there is need to avert it…In sum, it would be hard to exaggerate the differences between the pagan and the Christian views of propitiation. In the pagan perspective, human beings try to placate their bad-tempered deities with their own paltry offerings. According to the Christian revelation, God’s own great love propitiated his own holy wrath through the gift of his own dear Son, who took our place, bore our sin and died our death. Thus God himself gave himself to us to save us from himself (Stott 114-115).
As Stott and many others have stated the immediate context demands for a more full meaning that simply expiation. Seifrid states it wonderfully, saying:
According to Paul, our sins themselves are an expression of the wrath of God on idolatry, a wrath that therefore cannot legitimately be reduced to an impersonal effect or natural result of a deed (1:18-32). Humanity has been subjected by God to the power of sin (3:9). The righteousness of God effects deliverance from sin to which God’s wrath delivered us (3:24; cf. 6:1-23, esp. 6:7). Expiation is thus contingent on propitiation. Propitiation effects expiation. (620)
Finally it should be noted that to translate the word as expiation and not as propitiation would only speak of what has been done with sin and would do so at the neglect of what is done with God’s wrath (Jeffery, Ovey, and Sach 82).
This can be seen in the same verse where Paul uses the word forbearance. Forbearance means, “to bear with or endure.” In other words, because of the past sins prior to Jesus Christ not being dealt with, God was enduring something. What was God enduring? God was enduring the injustice of sins undealt with. In other words, it is God’s nature to be just! For Him to never deal with sin would be impossible. However, God did forbear the injustice for a time until Jesus Christ came. Then He sent forth His Son as the propitiation for sin “previously committed.” By doing so, God “publicly” demonstrates to the world that He is indeed just! As Clement of Rome has said, “His flesh for our flesh, and His soul, for our souls.” (Clement of Rome 1.18.) Or stated in a letter to Diognetus, “The father Himself placed upon Christ the burden of our iniquities. He gave His own Son as a ransom for us…” (Letter to Diognetus 1.28.) Jesus Christ took upon Himself the wrath against sins committed by others.
3:26. For the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. The word for at the beginning of verse 26 is connected to the last phrase in verse 25. It answers the question, “why did God pass over sins previously committed?” God passed over sins previously committed, so that, He could display His magnificent righteousness “at the present time.” Murray comments on this phrase saying,
The definite specification of time in the expression “at this present time” (vs. 26) is another example of the significance attached to the historical epoch in which God gave this demonstration of his justice. It is contrasted with the generations of the past when God’s forbearance was in exercise, and it shows that location in history belongs to those accomplishments which have a Godward reference at their centre. We are not to relegate to the realm of the superhistorical that which meets divine interest and exigencies. (121)
Paul uses the word demonstration, which means, “to prove.” This word is used three times and translated as: demonstration, proof, sign. In other words, Jesus Christ being a propitious sacrifice to God is a sign or a proof that God is indeed righteous.
What exactly is God seeking to prove by punishing sin? What is God demonstrating by giving sin its proper due? God is proving that He is indeed just. This word is used 79 times in the New Testament. It comes from a word, which means, “right.” In fact, this word is translated 48 times as righteous. So when Paul states that this is all done to display God being just, he means it shows and proves that God does indeed uphold what is right! He does not sweep the sins previously committed underneath some cosmic rug. Nor does He ignore it. He does not just “up and forgive it” either, but rather, he deals justly or rightly with sin. In this way God is not only just, but He is just in justifying the ungodly! What an awesome God. For here God clearly manifests not only that He is a just God, but that He is a loving God that would do so at the expense of His dearly loved and only Son. Only God can clearly manifest both perfect love and perfect justice in one event. One scholar writes:
Now the bearing of the cross on God’s dealings with men “at the present time” is unfolded. It amounts to a declaration that God is at once just in himself and justifying in his activity on behalf of mankind. (Harrison 45)
Or as another has said, “Christ was set forth as a sacrifice for the manifestation of the righteousness or justice of God, that is, that he might be just, although the justifier of the ungodly” (Hodge 98). The last phrase in verse 26 states the who God justifies, those who have “faith in Jesus.” In the opening of the epistle, Paul had quoted a prophet from the Old Testament stating, “The just shall live by faith.” It is here in these verses that Paul explains how that can be! One is not able to stand before God by keeping the Law of Moses or even the laws written on their own hearts. One must and can only stand before God by faith in Jesus Christ and His accomplished work on the cross.
Because of the clear argument being made here by the Apostle Paul, he closes the chapter with this being the reason God is not a respecter of persons or ethnicities. Nor will God justify anyone by works of the law. But rather, the law of faith alone will justify them. However, the question arises, “if men are justified before God apart from the law, is the law then overthrown?” Paul then begins to grapple with this question in the following chapter.
So, now that we have taken a brief examination of what Paul is talking about in Romans 3:24-26, how then should we live? It seems the best application of these truths is found in the following verse, where Paul asks a rhetorical question. “Where then is the boasting?” The answer, “It is excluded.” This is why getting Romans 3:24-26 is so crucial! Because God’s glory is at stake! And our sin is on the line! If we get these verses wrong, there will be room to boast. Perhaps this may be the biggest problem with all the other interpretations of this text. The application doesn’t fit their exegesis. But if we realize that we are all deserving of Hell. And the only reason we are not condemned, is because of the free gift of redemption “by His grace.” I cannot boast for being in Christ, or remaining there! I am there because it was given to me to be in Him. So here is how we can apply this verse specifically. The next time you encounter someone that you grow impatient with, or think less of than yourself, remember that all of us are just as lost and our only hope is Jesus. So patiently and lovingly, as a servant, point them to the only hope for mankind. That is Jesus! Boast in nothing, save the cross of Calvary! For it was there that the sinless, innocent, and just Son of God was punished with the full penalty of sin on the behalf of wicked, guilty, sinners like you and me. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29b)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
How BIG of a deal is Abortion in America anyways?
This spring semester I had a class called “Contemporary Issues in Science.” It was a really cool class! We had a lot of time designated to discussion in the class concerning major issues concerning ethics and contemporary science. Things like, genetic engineering, abortions, contraceptives, and tons of other issues. I had to write a paper on contraceptives and abortions. I had to develop a Biblical worldview and ethic and compare it with the science developments and explain how those issues should be seen by a Christian.
Upon doing my research I became sick with some of the information I was getting from the sources I used in my paper. Here’s the facts I came too. In 1973 America legalized abortions in every state. Since then there has been a continual increase in the amount of abortions each year when compared to the previous year. The book I was using was published in 2002. It stated that abortions were increasing by 1.6% each year. It also stated that in 2002 there was 1.4 MILLION abortions in the United States alone. I don’t know if that number registers for you but I did some more research to compare those numbers with other major events in history.
For example, since the war in Iraq has started (March 20, 2003) there has been 3,376 casualties in combat(That’s just over 5 years). Now that is a lot of people. And tied with each one of those people are loved ones and family members. However, there are 4,000 murders (abortions) of innocent children EVERYDAY in the U.S. alone! SHOCKING! I hope you are repulsed and disturbed, because you should be. This is a sad, sad, sad thing. But it get’s worse!
If I were to take ALL of the casualties of Americans in combat from the entire history of America. That is, if I were to add up all of the deaths from all of the wars in U.S history (including WWI & WWII) and then in addition to that add in all the deaths from the Holocaust it would add up to 13,760,572 deaths! That is a whole lot of people. What would you think if I told you that the amount of legalized murder of innocent children (abortions)that were done in the U.S. since 1973 more than doubles that amount? From 1973-2002 there have been over 40,000,000 ABORTIONS! However, today the death toll of innocent children in the U.S. is now over 50,000,000!!! This is genocide! Legalized genocide!
However, there is something you can do about this! This year you have the opportunity to vote. There are two candidates running. Barack H. Obama and John Mccain are the two candidates. Obama is arguably the biggest advocate for pro-choice to ever run for President. Mccain has a history and has promised to continue to be pro-life. Not only does Mccain have the ability to cut back the amount of abortions done in the United States, but also, he will have an opportunity to bring in another conservative (pro-life) supreme court judge (SCJ)! This is huge, because, we only need to have one more SCJ to have a majority of conservative SCJ. What this means is, if Mccain gets in office we could overturn the legalized abortions in the United States.
One major response I will likely get and so I thought it best to give it now is this, “Stephen, there are other important issues concerning this election other than this one topic.” I agree. However, can you think of a more pressing issue? 150 years ago there was a thing called legalized slavery. This slavery treated human beings who were less powerful as property. A man named William Wilberfore dedicated his life to stop this horrific affair. He died before seeing his dream come true. That is, to see all mankind treated equal. There were many in his time who agreed with him on his view of slavery. However, they thought it would be foolish to vote the overturn of slavery because it effected so many issues, thing like: the economy, power of the nation, the current war and other things! We look back at those people and think, “how foolish, selfish, and lost they must have been!” And yet, we are making the same mistake today! America has legalized slavery all over again. The human being in a mothers womb is not treated free! The child is not treated equal! The innocent dependent child is seen as property of the mother to “choose” whatever she wants to do with it! Please I beg you all! Do not make the same mistake our forefathers made!
Upon doing my research I became sick with some of the information I was getting from the sources I used in my paper. Here’s the facts I came too. In 1973 America legalized abortions in every state. Since then there has been a continual increase in the amount of abortions each year when compared to the previous year. The book I was using was published in 2002. It stated that abortions were increasing by 1.6% each year. It also stated that in 2002 there was 1.4 MILLION abortions in the United States alone. I don’t know if that number registers for you but I did some more research to compare those numbers with other major events in history.
For example, since the war in Iraq has started (March 20, 2003) there has been 3,376 casualties in combat(That’s just over 5 years). Now that is a lot of people. And tied with each one of those people are loved ones and family members. However, there are 4,000 murders (abortions) of innocent children EVERYDAY in the U.S. alone! SHOCKING! I hope you are repulsed and disturbed, because you should be. This is a sad, sad, sad thing. But it get’s worse!
If I were to take ALL of the casualties of Americans in combat from the entire history of America. That is, if I were to add up all of the deaths from all of the wars in U.S history (including WWI & WWII) and then in addition to that add in all the deaths from the Holocaust it would add up to 13,760,572 deaths! That is a whole lot of people. What would you think if I told you that the amount of legalized murder of innocent children (abortions)that were done in the U.S. since 1973 more than doubles that amount? From 1973-2002 there have been over 40,000,000 ABORTIONS! However, today the death toll of innocent children in the U.S. is now over 50,000,000!!! This is genocide! Legalized genocide!
However, there is something you can do about this! This year you have the opportunity to vote. There are two candidates running. Barack H. Obama and John Mccain are the two candidates. Obama is arguably the biggest advocate for pro-choice to ever run for President. Mccain has a history and has promised to continue to be pro-life. Not only does Mccain have the ability to cut back the amount of abortions done in the United States, but also, he will have an opportunity to bring in another conservative (pro-life) supreme court judge (SCJ)! This is huge, because, we only need to have one more SCJ to have a majority of conservative SCJ. What this means is, if Mccain gets in office we could overturn the legalized abortions in the United States.
One major response I will likely get and so I thought it best to give it now is this, “Stephen, there are other important issues concerning this election other than this one topic.” I agree. However, can you think of a more pressing issue? 150 years ago there was a thing called legalized slavery. This slavery treated human beings who were less powerful as property. A man named William Wilberfore dedicated his life to stop this horrific affair. He died before seeing his dream come true. That is, to see all mankind treated equal. There were many in his time who agreed with him on his view of slavery. However, they thought it would be foolish to vote the overturn of slavery because it effected so many issues, thing like: the economy, power of the nation, the current war and other things! We look back at those people and think, “how foolish, selfish, and lost they must have been!” And yet, we are making the same mistake today! America has legalized slavery all over again. The human being in a mothers womb is not treated free! The child is not treated equal! The innocent dependent child is seen as property of the mother to “choose” whatever she wants to do with it! Please I beg you all! Do not make the same mistake our forefathers made!
A Brief Biography of the life and theology of John Calvin.
Introduction
John Calvin is arguably one of the most influential scholars in Christendom history. Calvin is largely responsible for the development of many doctrines including the system of Covenant Theology. Perhaps the greatest thinker from the Reformation is John Calvin. In the short 54 years lived (Piper 121) Calvin wrote tracts and books, preached thousands of sermons, established school known internationally, and trained many future pastors to send out into the world to spread the gospel to the four corners of the earth.
This paper will do a brief introduction to the life and doctrine of John Calvin. Due to many misconceptions and lack of research done by the common man, John Calvin has been largely misunderstood and sadly misrepresented by many. He is more often than not known for his forming of the doctrines of grace and the so-called killing of people in Geneva. Hopefully this paper will clarify some of those issues and act as a proper memorial to a man who dedicated his life to proclaiming the glory of God.
A brief background on the life of John Calvin
On July 10, 1509, Gerard Calvin and Jeanne Le Franc had a baby boy, their second. They were a middle class family in Noyon, a small city in the northern French province of Picardy…The baby boy, Jean, turned out to be smart, and when the time came, his father used his connections to get him a good education. (Elwood 1)
Calvin had just turned 8 years old when Martin Luther had nailed his famous 95 theses on the door of a church, which began the Reformation. Although John Calvin is recognized as one of the major reformers, he was one of untimely birth. Luther and Zwingli were already well-established reformers and known all across Europe, when Calvin was just beginning his education in (Roman Catholic) theology in Paris, France. His father had pulled some strings to get him into school there. Gerard had known the right people from his work place. Although, later John’s father fell out of good standing with the Catholic church, and so, Gerard sent him to study law (Piper 122).
Half a decade later Calvin went to study his passion at the time, the classics. His father had died and he felt free to chase after this love of his. He also took up Greek and wrote a book called Commentary on Seneca (Piper 122). Sometime in the early 1530’s Calvin had caught a glimpse of the glory of God and he was radically changed.
Many scholars have charged Calvin with being heartless and cruel to those who differed with him in doctrinal beliefs, claiming he would have people killed if they would dare to contradict anything he taught. This is simply not true. Calvin is not responsible for any mans’ death. However, what is often referred to for proof is the account of the individual Servetus who was beheaded in the town that John Calvin had much influence over as pastor. The man had attempted to have Calvin killed on a couple of occasions using deceit and hit men. Both times Calvin was preserved by what could best be called providence. Later this man had attempted to not only deny the doctrine of the Trinity but also espouse his view to many of the citizens of Geneva. He had warrants on him for death from the Roman Catholic Church as well. Calvin had met with him on a number of occasions to correct him of his doctrinal error but he refused to recant this heresy. The punishment in Geneva for holding to such a doctrine was death. Calvin likely could have talked the city council out of this, but after no change in Servetus, he approved of the decision made by the council on one condition, that they give him a quick and easy death. They agreed and had Servetus beheaded.
At the age of thirty-one Calvin was finally married. John Piper states that many women had made attempts at winning the heart of young and zealous Calvin (Piper 131). In fact some believe Calvin actually had some matchmakers working for him. However, it was a widower of an Anabaptist that caught the eye of John Calvin. When asked what Calvin was looking for in a wife he stated, “The only beauty which allures me is this—that she be chaste, not too nice or fastidious, economical, patient, likely to take care of my health” (Parker 70). Calvin’s new wife’s name was “Idelette” and she brought a son and a daughter with her.
Many have thought of Calvin as one who formed his doctrine and theology up in an “ivory tower”, and although this may have been Calvin’s desire, he never had that luxury. Instead, Calvin was familiar with much suffering and death. He lost all three of his children from his beloved wife at birth or soon after. And after only 9 years of marriage his wife also joined their children in the grave. After the death of his love he wrote:
You know well how tender, or rather soft, my mind is. Had not a powerful self-control been given to me, I could not have borne up so long. And truly, mine is no common source of grief. I have been bereaved of the best companion of my life, of one who, had it been so ordained, would have willingly shared not only my poverty but even my death. During her life she was the faithful helper of my ministry. From her I never experienced the slightest hindrance. She was never troublesome to me throughout the whole course of her illness, but was more anxious about her children than about herself. As I feared these private worries might upset her to no purpose, I took occasion three days before she died, to mention that I would not fail in discharging my duty towards her children (Parker 71).
Calvin also had a deep love and devotion to his sheep. He gave much time to study to protect them from many false teachers. The idea of Calvin living a life in an “ivory tower” is simply a lie. Contrary to popular belief Calvin’s doctrine of God’s sovereignty was formed in the midst of suffering and pain. In fact, it was the doctrine of God’s sovereignty that comforted him in these times of trials and testing.
After the death of his wife and children Calvin gave himself wholeheartedly to the local church. He often preached everyday and twice on Sundays, all the while giving three lectures in theology a week. He also gave countless hours in visiting the sick and counseling those in need.
However, this workload was done at the expense of his health. Calvin was given over to tremendous migraines and stomach pains. His poor health led eventually to colic and the spitting of blood, as well as, “the ‘excruciating sufferings’ from his hemorrhoids” (Piper 134). All of this took place while angry mobs fired large guns outside at his home. This sickness brought the death of John Calvin at a relatively young age of 54.
But Calvin’s legacy still goes on nearly 500 years after his death. Much of his writings are still influencing many men and woman in their understanding of the Scriptures. His books have also served many pastors in their endeavor to serve their sheep faithfully as Calvin did.
A brief look at John Calvin’s theology
Much of Calvin’s theology can be found his most famous work Institutes of Christian Religion. This work had a number of revisions but the purpose was the same from start to finish. Calvin sought to give an apology to the King for why the Protestants were true to the historic faith of Christianity. His hope was to stop the persecution of many Christians and establish the reputation of the Protestant’s young faith.
Perhaps there could have not been a better man for the job, for Calvin was well acquainted with the doctrines of not only the Roman Catholics but also was very well versed in the church fathers. In fact, Calvin often appealed to the church fathers to authenticate the doctrines that emerged from the Reformation.
This all being said, Calvin would have hardly thought of his Institutes of Christian Religion as exhaustive. He also had his sermons transcripted which later became a complete set commentary on the Bible.
It has often been said that Calvin’s theology ran on railroad tracks. Those tracks were the word of God and the Holy Spirit. To Calvin the two were inseparable and they ran parallel to each other. The Word of God was the objective truth revealed by God. The Holy Spirit would animate the Word of God and it worked on a subjective level at communicating to the reader through the objective word. He states:
The work of the Spirit, then, is joined to the word of God. But a distinction is made, that we may know that external word is of no avail by itself, unless animated by the power of the Spirit…All power of action, then, resides in the Spirit Himself (Azurdia III 97).
By doing this Calvin could have confidence and certainty in what the Word of God states. This thought process was way ahead of his time. Many scholars are still trying to pull apart and develop this idea that Calvin pioneered. Many today have fallen into a black hole of uncertainty and despair. Perhaps it would do contemporary Christian leaders some good to read more of John Calvin and a little less of these Emergent works.
The Institutes of Christian Religion was a 4-piece (book) set. The first book deals with knowing God as creator. He states, “For how can the thought of God penetrate your mind without your realizing immediately that, since you are his handiwork… you owe your life to him?” (Nichols 69). The second book deals with knowing God as redeemer. The third book dealt with how to apply the knowledge of God as creator and redeemer. The last book dealt with the church and things such as church government.
Calvin had a well-developed view of faith. This may be largely due to the new doctrine of sola fide or perhaps because of his development of the harmony between the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. Whatever the motivation was, Calvin developed a well-rounded doctrine of faith. He describes faith as:
A firm and certain knowledge of God’s benevolence towards us, founded upon the truth of the freely given promise in Christ, both revealed to our minds and sealed upon our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Elwood 83).
He goes on to explain that faith has three aspects to it. It is personal, not mustered by man, and functions with knowledge.
Calvin had also been one who was fascinated by and consumed with a passion for God’s glory. He longed to behold it, understand it, and herald it to all. Calvin saw the glory of God most clearly displayed in the gospel. This drove Calvin to really develop a well-thought out study and examination of scripture concerning the gospel. With Calvin’s well-developed view of faith came a proper understanding of what that faith did. For Calvin, faith was the only means by which one could receive grace unto salvation. But how did this all work? What exactly took place when one believed in the work of Jesus Christ? Calvin writes:
We explain justification simply as the acceptance with which God receives us into his favor as righteous men. And we say that it consists in the remission of sins and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness… You see that our righteousness is not in us but in Christ, that we possess it only because we partakers in Christ; indeed, with him we possess all its riches… To declare that by him alone we are accounted righteous, what else is this but to lodge our righteousness in Christ’s obedience, because the obedience of Christ is reckoned to us as if it were our own? (Calvin 727, 753).
Calvin fought for this doctrine. And he suffered much for this doctrine of imputation of Christ’s righteousness. It is sad that so many are quick to drop this doctrine after 500 years because of some new wind of doctrine.
Perhaps the most misunderstood teaching of John Calvin is what is often called “Calvinism.” The most common understanding by both Calvinist and Arminians is the idea that the 5 points of Calvinism were written and structured by John Calvin. However, the 5 points were a response to a doctrinal statement written to a counsel in Holland.
In 1610, just one year after the death of James Arminius (a Dutch seminary professor), his followers drew up five articles of faith based upon his teachings. The Arminians, as his followers came to be called, presented these five doctrines to the State of Holland in the form of a “Remonstrance” (i.e., a protest). The Arminian party insisted that the Belgic Confession of Faith and the Heidelberg Catechism (the official expression of the doctrinal position of the Church of Holland) be changed to conform to the doctrinal views contained in the Scripture (Steele, Thomas, and Quinn 3-4).
A counsel met for the next 9 months and had 154 sessions. There were well over a hundred pastors from several different countries who met to examine this protest to see whether there be any truth in the 5 articles made. The response to the 5 points was another five points by the Great Synod. These five points became commonly known as the “five points of Calvinism.”
That being said, most would agree that those five points were not only and primarily in agreement with Scripture that they are also in agreement with John Calvin’s understanding of salvation (though some attempt to argue against this point).
The five points were: Total Depravity, Unconditional Elect, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the saints. It formed an acronym of a very common flower in Holland, that is, the TULIP.
The doctrine of total depravity was nothing new by Calvin. This doctrine had been formulated long before Calvin was even born. It was first developed as a response to a heretic known as Pelagius. Pelagius taught that man could work his way to heaven. Augustine was known for his well thought out response to Pelagius, the church soon after deemed Pelagius a heretic. Later, another false teaching arose that was called “Semi-Pelagian.” It was quite similar to what James Arminius’ followers wrote up as a protest (although hundreds of years before Arminius). Due to both of these false doctrines the doctrine of total depravity was well developed before Calvin. In addition, Luther had also developed the doctrine a bit more by stating, due to the fall of man, his will is bound to his nature, which is corrupted and therefore can choose nothing else but sin.
The doctrine of unconditional elect was well developed by Calvin. To Calvin this doctrine was closely linked to the very nature of God, that is, the Great I AM. God could not look outside Himself for decisions or plans for that would be contrary to the very essence of who God is and has revealed Himself to be. This doctrine was taught and preached to comfort his sheep. Because one who knew God was all good and all sovereign one could trust in Him no matter the suffering and pain. This idea had its overflow into how and whom God chose for salvation.
Limited atonement is likely the most misunderstood of the five points. Some have attempted to argue that Calvin never held to this particular doctrine. However, the majority of avid readers of Calvin believe he held to this doctrine. The idea is that there is a particular and unique atonement for those whom God had chosen to save, as opposed to those who would not believe.
Irresistible grace outflows from points 1-3, because, man is totally unable to choose God, so God predestines to save particular persons, by applying the unique atonement to those chosen with an effectual calling that enables the person to a saving faith that is sure. Some have argued that this doctrine is the crucial clinching point between the Roman Church and the Protestants.
Perseverance of the saints is the doctrine that has been “practically” dropped by many self-proclaiming Calvinists. Many have abandoned this doctrine for a doctrine called “once saved always saved.” That doctrine is perhaps one of the most dangerous doctrines within Orthodoxy. It is not only doctrinally deficient but has given many Christians over to licentiousness. It is perhaps more harmful than Arminianism in this respect. The warning passages in scripture no longer act as anything. For a person who makes a profession is encouraged to never doubt his salvation no matter how unrepentant he or she may be. This would be abominable in Calvin’s mindset of God’s work in man. Calvin invested much time in developing a doctrine we often take for granted, that is, sanctification.
Another doctrine that was fine-tuned by Calvin was the doctrine of Substitutionary Atonement. This idea of Jesus’ death on the cross actually having an effect on God was crucial. God must punish sin! He must be appeased! However, it pleased the Father to crush the Son in the place of sinners. Calvin wrote, “Not only was salvation given to us through the Christ, but, by his grace the Father is now favorable to us” (Quiggle 142).
In other words, something took place on the cross that caused the Father to now show favor to those who were once His enemies. This was the atoning work of Jesus Christ. In the last two decades this doctrine has also gotten a lot of disagreement from within even the evangelical camp.
Conclusion
John Calvin lived a short life but by the sovereign grace of God he accomplished much for His glory. He was well acquainted with sorrow and suffering. He lived much of his life fleeing from persecution. He lived longer than all of his children and had to bear the death of his beloved wife.
To this day, Calvin is misunderstood and sometimes even hated for his doctrines. But much of it was formed in a life of suffering and seeking the glory of God in all of it. He was not perfect. However, he is another example to us what God can do through the life of a man who surrenders his life to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).
May God use this life to stir in the hearts of men and women all across the world to be convinced and propelled by a certainty in the promises of God. That God may raise up a generation of people of faith who believe that God is faithful and the rewarder of those who seek Him.
To a generation that has almost completely lost any sense of conviction, passion, and sense of purpose in life. To a generation that is highly skeptical of everything including God’s word, and doubts God’s ability to clearly communicate to us. To a generation that is man-centered and has lost the vision of the Glory of God! This would be John Calvin’s message to our generation!
John Calvin is arguably one of the most influential scholars in Christendom history. Calvin is largely responsible for the development of many doctrines including the system of Covenant Theology. Perhaps the greatest thinker from the Reformation is John Calvin. In the short 54 years lived (Piper 121) Calvin wrote tracts and books, preached thousands of sermons, established school known internationally, and trained many future pastors to send out into the world to spread the gospel to the four corners of the earth.
This paper will do a brief introduction to the life and doctrine of John Calvin. Due to many misconceptions and lack of research done by the common man, John Calvin has been largely misunderstood and sadly misrepresented by many. He is more often than not known for his forming of the doctrines of grace and the so-called killing of people in Geneva. Hopefully this paper will clarify some of those issues and act as a proper memorial to a man who dedicated his life to proclaiming the glory of God.
A brief background on the life of John Calvin
On July 10, 1509, Gerard Calvin and Jeanne Le Franc had a baby boy, their second. They were a middle class family in Noyon, a small city in the northern French province of Picardy…The baby boy, Jean, turned out to be smart, and when the time came, his father used his connections to get him a good education. (Elwood 1)
Calvin had just turned 8 years old when Martin Luther had nailed his famous 95 theses on the door of a church, which began the Reformation. Although John Calvin is recognized as one of the major reformers, he was one of untimely birth. Luther and Zwingli were already well-established reformers and known all across Europe, when Calvin was just beginning his education in (Roman Catholic) theology in Paris, France. His father had pulled some strings to get him into school there. Gerard had known the right people from his work place. Although, later John’s father fell out of good standing with the Catholic church, and so, Gerard sent him to study law (Piper 122).
Half a decade later Calvin went to study his passion at the time, the classics. His father had died and he felt free to chase after this love of his. He also took up Greek and wrote a book called Commentary on Seneca (Piper 122). Sometime in the early 1530’s Calvin had caught a glimpse of the glory of God and he was radically changed.
Many scholars have charged Calvin with being heartless and cruel to those who differed with him in doctrinal beliefs, claiming he would have people killed if they would dare to contradict anything he taught. This is simply not true. Calvin is not responsible for any mans’ death. However, what is often referred to for proof is the account of the individual Servetus who was beheaded in the town that John Calvin had much influence over as pastor. The man had attempted to have Calvin killed on a couple of occasions using deceit and hit men. Both times Calvin was preserved by what could best be called providence. Later this man had attempted to not only deny the doctrine of the Trinity but also espouse his view to many of the citizens of Geneva. He had warrants on him for death from the Roman Catholic Church as well. Calvin had met with him on a number of occasions to correct him of his doctrinal error but he refused to recant this heresy. The punishment in Geneva for holding to such a doctrine was death. Calvin likely could have talked the city council out of this, but after no change in Servetus, he approved of the decision made by the council on one condition, that they give him a quick and easy death. They agreed and had Servetus beheaded.
At the age of thirty-one Calvin was finally married. John Piper states that many women had made attempts at winning the heart of young and zealous Calvin (Piper 131). In fact some believe Calvin actually had some matchmakers working for him. However, it was a widower of an Anabaptist that caught the eye of John Calvin. When asked what Calvin was looking for in a wife he stated, “The only beauty which allures me is this—that she be chaste, not too nice or fastidious, economical, patient, likely to take care of my health” (Parker 70). Calvin’s new wife’s name was “Idelette” and she brought a son and a daughter with her.
Many have thought of Calvin as one who formed his doctrine and theology up in an “ivory tower”, and although this may have been Calvin’s desire, he never had that luxury. Instead, Calvin was familiar with much suffering and death. He lost all three of his children from his beloved wife at birth or soon after. And after only 9 years of marriage his wife also joined their children in the grave. After the death of his love he wrote:
You know well how tender, or rather soft, my mind is. Had not a powerful self-control been given to me, I could not have borne up so long. And truly, mine is no common source of grief. I have been bereaved of the best companion of my life, of one who, had it been so ordained, would have willingly shared not only my poverty but even my death. During her life she was the faithful helper of my ministry. From her I never experienced the slightest hindrance. She was never troublesome to me throughout the whole course of her illness, but was more anxious about her children than about herself. As I feared these private worries might upset her to no purpose, I took occasion three days before she died, to mention that I would not fail in discharging my duty towards her children (Parker 71).
Calvin also had a deep love and devotion to his sheep. He gave much time to study to protect them from many false teachers. The idea of Calvin living a life in an “ivory tower” is simply a lie. Contrary to popular belief Calvin’s doctrine of God’s sovereignty was formed in the midst of suffering and pain. In fact, it was the doctrine of God’s sovereignty that comforted him in these times of trials and testing.
After the death of his wife and children Calvin gave himself wholeheartedly to the local church. He often preached everyday and twice on Sundays, all the while giving three lectures in theology a week. He also gave countless hours in visiting the sick and counseling those in need.
However, this workload was done at the expense of his health. Calvin was given over to tremendous migraines and stomach pains. His poor health led eventually to colic and the spitting of blood, as well as, “the ‘excruciating sufferings’ from his hemorrhoids” (Piper 134). All of this took place while angry mobs fired large guns outside at his home. This sickness brought the death of John Calvin at a relatively young age of 54.
But Calvin’s legacy still goes on nearly 500 years after his death. Much of his writings are still influencing many men and woman in their understanding of the Scriptures. His books have also served many pastors in their endeavor to serve their sheep faithfully as Calvin did.
A brief look at John Calvin’s theology
Much of Calvin’s theology can be found his most famous work Institutes of Christian Religion. This work had a number of revisions but the purpose was the same from start to finish. Calvin sought to give an apology to the King for why the Protestants were true to the historic faith of Christianity. His hope was to stop the persecution of many Christians and establish the reputation of the Protestant’s young faith.
Perhaps there could have not been a better man for the job, for Calvin was well acquainted with the doctrines of not only the Roman Catholics but also was very well versed in the church fathers. In fact, Calvin often appealed to the church fathers to authenticate the doctrines that emerged from the Reformation.
This all being said, Calvin would have hardly thought of his Institutes of Christian Religion as exhaustive. He also had his sermons transcripted which later became a complete set commentary on the Bible.
It has often been said that Calvin’s theology ran on railroad tracks. Those tracks were the word of God and the Holy Spirit. To Calvin the two were inseparable and they ran parallel to each other. The Word of God was the objective truth revealed by God. The Holy Spirit would animate the Word of God and it worked on a subjective level at communicating to the reader through the objective word. He states:
The work of the Spirit, then, is joined to the word of God. But a distinction is made, that we may know that external word is of no avail by itself, unless animated by the power of the Spirit…All power of action, then, resides in the Spirit Himself (Azurdia III 97).
By doing this Calvin could have confidence and certainty in what the Word of God states. This thought process was way ahead of his time. Many scholars are still trying to pull apart and develop this idea that Calvin pioneered. Many today have fallen into a black hole of uncertainty and despair. Perhaps it would do contemporary Christian leaders some good to read more of John Calvin and a little less of these Emergent works.
The Institutes of Christian Religion was a 4-piece (book) set. The first book deals with knowing God as creator. He states, “For how can the thought of God penetrate your mind without your realizing immediately that, since you are his handiwork… you owe your life to him?” (Nichols 69). The second book deals with knowing God as redeemer. The third book dealt with how to apply the knowledge of God as creator and redeemer. The last book dealt with the church and things such as church government.
Calvin had a well-developed view of faith. This may be largely due to the new doctrine of sola fide or perhaps because of his development of the harmony between the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. Whatever the motivation was, Calvin developed a well-rounded doctrine of faith. He describes faith as:
A firm and certain knowledge of God’s benevolence towards us, founded upon the truth of the freely given promise in Christ, both revealed to our minds and sealed upon our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Elwood 83).
He goes on to explain that faith has three aspects to it. It is personal, not mustered by man, and functions with knowledge.
Calvin had also been one who was fascinated by and consumed with a passion for God’s glory. He longed to behold it, understand it, and herald it to all. Calvin saw the glory of God most clearly displayed in the gospel. This drove Calvin to really develop a well-thought out study and examination of scripture concerning the gospel. With Calvin’s well-developed view of faith came a proper understanding of what that faith did. For Calvin, faith was the only means by which one could receive grace unto salvation. But how did this all work? What exactly took place when one believed in the work of Jesus Christ? Calvin writes:
We explain justification simply as the acceptance with which God receives us into his favor as righteous men. And we say that it consists in the remission of sins and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness… You see that our righteousness is not in us but in Christ, that we possess it only because we partakers in Christ; indeed, with him we possess all its riches… To declare that by him alone we are accounted righteous, what else is this but to lodge our righteousness in Christ’s obedience, because the obedience of Christ is reckoned to us as if it were our own? (Calvin 727, 753).
Calvin fought for this doctrine. And he suffered much for this doctrine of imputation of Christ’s righteousness. It is sad that so many are quick to drop this doctrine after 500 years because of some new wind of doctrine.
Perhaps the most misunderstood teaching of John Calvin is what is often called “Calvinism.” The most common understanding by both Calvinist and Arminians is the idea that the 5 points of Calvinism were written and structured by John Calvin. However, the 5 points were a response to a doctrinal statement written to a counsel in Holland.
In 1610, just one year after the death of James Arminius (a Dutch seminary professor), his followers drew up five articles of faith based upon his teachings. The Arminians, as his followers came to be called, presented these five doctrines to the State of Holland in the form of a “Remonstrance” (i.e., a protest). The Arminian party insisted that the Belgic Confession of Faith and the Heidelberg Catechism (the official expression of the doctrinal position of the Church of Holland) be changed to conform to the doctrinal views contained in the Scripture (Steele, Thomas, and Quinn 3-4).
A counsel met for the next 9 months and had 154 sessions. There were well over a hundred pastors from several different countries who met to examine this protest to see whether there be any truth in the 5 articles made. The response to the 5 points was another five points by the Great Synod. These five points became commonly known as the “five points of Calvinism.”
That being said, most would agree that those five points were not only and primarily in agreement with Scripture that they are also in agreement with John Calvin’s understanding of salvation (though some attempt to argue against this point).
The five points were: Total Depravity, Unconditional Elect, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the saints. It formed an acronym of a very common flower in Holland, that is, the TULIP.
The doctrine of total depravity was nothing new by Calvin. This doctrine had been formulated long before Calvin was even born. It was first developed as a response to a heretic known as Pelagius. Pelagius taught that man could work his way to heaven. Augustine was known for his well thought out response to Pelagius, the church soon after deemed Pelagius a heretic. Later, another false teaching arose that was called “Semi-Pelagian.” It was quite similar to what James Arminius’ followers wrote up as a protest (although hundreds of years before Arminius). Due to both of these false doctrines the doctrine of total depravity was well developed before Calvin. In addition, Luther had also developed the doctrine a bit more by stating, due to the fall of man, his will is bound to his nature, which is corrupted and therefore can choose nothing else but sin.
The doctrine of unconditional elect was well developed by Calvin. To Calvin this doctrine was closely linked to the very nature of God, that is, the Great I AM. God could not look outside Himself for decisions or plans for that would be contrary to the very essence of who God is and has revealed Himself to be. This doctrine was taught and preached to comfort his sheep. Because one who knew God was all good and all sovereign one could trust in Him no matter the suffering and pain. This idea had its overflow into how and whom God chose for salvation.
Limited atonement is likely the most misunderstood of the five points. Some have attempted to argue that Calvin never held to this particular doctrine. However, the majority of avid readers of Calvin believe he held to this doctrine. The idea is that there is a particular and unique atonement for those whom God had chosen to save, as opposed to those who would not believe.
Irresistible grace outflows from points 1-3, because, man is totally unable to choose God, so God predestines to save particular persons, by applying the unique atonement to those chosen with an effectual calling that enables the person to a saving faith that is sure. Some have argued that this doctrine is the crucial clinching point between the Roman Church and the Protestants.
Perseverance of the saints is the doctrine that has been “practically” dropped by many self-proclaiming Calvinists. Many have abandoned this doctrine for a doctrine called “once saved always saved.” That doctrine is perhaps one of the most dangerous doctrines within Orthodoxy. It is not only doctrinally deficient but has given many Christians over to licentiousness. It is perhaps more harmful than Arminianism in this respect. The warning passages in scripture no longer act as anything. For a person who makes a profession is encouraged to never doubt his salvation no matter how unrepentant he or she may be. This would be abominable in Calvin’s mindset of God’s work in man. Calvin invested much time in developing a doctrine we often take for granted, that is, sanctification.
Another doctrine that was fine-tuned by Calvin was the doctrine of Substitutionary Atonement. This idea of Jesus’ death on the cross actually having an effect on God was crucial. God must punish sin! He must be appeased! However, it pleased the Father to crush the Son in the place of sinners. Calvin wrote, “Not only was salvation given to us through the Christ, but, by his grace the Father is now favorable to us” (Quiggle 142).
In other words, something took place on the cross that caused the Father to now show favor to those who were once His enemies. This was the atoning work of Jesus Christ. In the last two decades this doctrine has also gotten a lot of disagreement from within even the evangelical camp.
Conclusion
John Calvin lived a short life but by the sovereign grace of God he accomplished much for His glory. He was well acquainted with sorrow and suffering. He lived much of his life fleeing from persecution. He lived longer than all of his children and had to bear the death of his beloved wife.
To this day, Calvin is misunderstood and sometimes even hated for his doctrines. But much of it was formed in a life of suffering and seeking the glory of God in all of it. He was not perfect. However, he is another example to us what God can do through the life of a man who surrenders his life to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).
May God use this life to stir in the hearts of men and women all across the world to be convinced and propelled by a certainty in the promises of God. That God may raise up a generation of people of faith who believe that God is faithful and the rewarder of those who seek Him.
To a generation that has almost completely lost any sense of conviction, passion, and sense of purpose in life. To a generation that is highly skeptical of everything including God’s word, and doubts God’s ability to clearly communicate to us. To a generation that is man-centered and has lost the vision of the Glory of God! This would be John Calvin’s message to our generation!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
No Heavenly Good!
This is a journal entry of mine from reading Philippians 3:19. The commentary is on Phil. 3:19d. Philippians 3:19-20 says, “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. . .”
“we are so earthly minded we are no heavenly good! Notice: Scripture never warns of being ‘too’ heavenly minded, for it is not the tendency of man to do so, but rather it is the tendency of man to set his mind (heart) on earthly things.
But, it is those who are most heavenly minded who are the most good for the world. Think of Abraham who lived in the land of promise, as though he were in a foreign land, because he was looking for a heavenly city, and was it not John, the apostle of love, who was given visions of things to come from heavens point of view, or the Apostle Paul, who set his mind on the heavenly mysteries and sought to reveal those things to the saints, was it not also Paul who was caught up to the third heaven, and finally look at our LORD Jesus Christ whose mind was only heavenly, and did only the will of His Father.
Did not the LORD Jesus accomplish all good things for all in His life, which was set only on the heavenly. I would submit to you that the saying, ‘he is so heavenly minded, that he is no heavenly good’ is what the Devil has whispered in our ears when we are walking in the flesh, and so, we accept it.
However, in a sense this statement is true. The earthly minded have never accepted the heavenly things. Look at: Cain, or Esau, or stiff-necked Israel to the heavenly oracles of God from the prophets, or finally the Pharisees. For it would seem that the most heavenly minded man (Jesus) was no earthly good to them. Perhaps the problem is not the heavenly minded, but rather, the earthly good.
And humbly I must accept, this is only a problem the Holy Spirit can solve and no man! This is what the Apostle Paul meant in I Corinthians 2:6-16″
which says,
“Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him’ these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. ‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” (italics added for emphasis)
“we are so earthly minded we are no heavenly good! Notice: Scripture never warns of being ‘too’ heavenly minded, for it is not the tendency of man to do so, but rather it is the tendency of man to set his mind (heart) on earthly things.
But, it is those who are most heavenly minded who are the most good for the world. Think of Abraham who lived in the land of promise, as though he were in a foreign land, because he was looking for a heavenly city, and was it not John, the apostle of love, who was given visions of things to come from heavens point of view, or the Apostle Paul, who set his mind on the heavenly mysteries and sought to reveal those things to the saints, was it not also Paul who was caught up to the third heaven, and finally look at our LORD Jesus Christ whose mind was only heavenly, and did only the will of His Father.
Did not the LORD Jesus accomplish all good things for all in His life, which was set only on the heavenly. I would submit to you that the saying, ‘he is so heavenly minded, that he is no heavenly good’ is what the Devil has whispered in our ears when we are walking in the flesh, and so, we accept it.
However, in a sense this statement is true. The earthly minded have never accepted the heavenly things. Look at: Cain, or Esau, or stiff-necked Israel to the heavenly oracles of God from the prophets, or finally the Pharisees. For it would seem that the most heavenly minded man (Jesus) was no earthly good to them. Perhaps the problem is not the heavenly minded, but rather, the earthly good.
And humbly I must accept, this is only a problem the Holy Spirit can solve and no man! This is what the Apostle Paul meant in I Corinthians 2:6-16″
which says,
“Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him’ these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. ‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” (italics added for emphasis)
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